BALDWYN, Miss. (WTVA) — Imagine reaching out for help only to be rejected repeatedly.
That's the case for two elderly people living in a house considered to be old and unsafe.
So enter volunteers taking action to help two people in Prentiss County who reside in a house that is beyond repair.
"It's heart wrenching," said Brandi Phillips, community relations manager with Hospice Advantage, "to walk in and to see their smiling faces and then to look down and the flooring is uneven, and it's just really sad."
Some people are responding by coordinating a massive volunteer project to tear down and build a new, more stable structure.
"They don't have a bathroom that works," added Gentry Parker, volunteer coordinator. "They don't have a kitchen that works. The subflooring is all gone. You can walk through and just fall to the ground at times, so it's really vital, especially with Ms. Dorothy being on hospice that we get this done as quickly as we can."
Plans call for volunteers to bring in a trailer so the two occupants can reside in something that is safer while a new house is under construction.
"We're hoping to get the trailer sometime within the next week or so," said Parker. "It is an older model mobile home, but it's in good shape, and it will be like the Taj Mahal compared to where they are right now."
An 800-square-foot manufactured home will be outfitted with modern amenities once the volunteers have the manpower and the weather on their side.
"The builder that we're working with has said that he has a guy that can frame it and build it out in about five to seven days," said Parker. "Once that happens and from that point forward, we can be in the building working as much as we need to."
Once the work begins, the project is expected to take around 60 days to complete.
If you're interested in volunteering on the project, you can email
gparker@hospiceadvantage.com.
